Roman Algeria the oases of the Western Erg Oran and the M'zab

Upon your arrival in Algiers, you complete the formalities before being transferred directly to your hotel. In the evening, you enjoy a dinner in downtown Algiers, your first immersion in the Algerian capital.

Today, you set off on foot to discover the Casbah of Algiers, also called El Qasbah, wandering through its narrow and winding streets.

Founded in the 10th century by Bologhine Ibn Ziri on the remains of the ancient Roman city of Icosium, the Casbah bears witness to several centuries of history. It notably reached its peak during the Regency of Algiers, when it became the center of political and economic power of the Ottoman deys. Its white multi-story houses, its palaces and its mosques still make up the landscape of this Arab-Berber medina today.

Its history has been marked by different foreign presences, from Romans to Ottomans to French. During the Algerian War, the Casbah also plays an important role by becoming one of the bastions of FLN independence fighters. After independence in 1962, it loses its central role but remains closely linked to Algerian history and culture. You explore its labyrinthine streets, its staircases and its shops, while discovering its craft and artistic traditions. The Casbah is notably associated with chaâbi music, which is part of its cultural identity. Its various viewpoints also allow you to gain perspective over Algiers and its bay.

In the afternoon, the discovery of Algiers continues with the Place of Martyrs, before visiting the Palace of the Raïs, also called "Bastion 23". Today a Cultural Arts Center, this ensemble is the only surviving witness to the former extension of the Casbah to the sea.

You then head to the heights of Algiers by vehicle to visit the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Afrique. If conditions are favorable, you will be able to enjoy the end of the day watching the sunset.

You dedicate this day to the discovery of Timimoun and its surroundings. Nicknamed the Red Oasis because of the red ochre color of its earth and its houses with neo-Sudanese architecture with African reminiscences, Timimoun exerts a true fascination in the heart of the Sahara.

You set out to discover the city of Timimoun, its old ksar and its palm grove. The city is distinguished by its contrasting urban planning: on one side, the ksar, the palm grove and the foggaras, witnesses to tradition; on the other, the colonial city and its modern extensions, marked by neo-Sudanese style. The ksar is a fortified village that still houses an active and dynamic population.

In the afternoon, you reach the dried salt lake, the Sebkha, then pass through several ksour with defensive architecture, notably Ighzer, Ouled Saïd and Aghlad. The palm grove is known for its date palms, which produce tasty and varied fruits.

You also discover the foggara irrigation system, an ingenious device allowing underground water to be channeled by drainage over long distances, through wells and tunnels. Essential to the life of the oasis, the foggaras ensure the irrigation of food crops and orchards. Their importance is such that some bear the names of eminent religious figures who granted them their blessing.

El Ménia offers an immersion in Saharan history. Its Ksar, an example of traditional architecture, includes the caravanserai at the foot of the hill, the village on the slope and the watchtowers. They evoke the community life of the desert, blending commerce and security.

The Church of Saint Joseph from the 1930s and the tomb of Charles de Foucauld from 1929 are important landmarks. A guide accompanies the visits, revealing the authenticity of this oasis steeped in Saharan tradition. Every corner, building and monument tells a story rich in resilience and culture in this oasis.

Discovery of the city of Ghardaïa, the marketplace, guided tour of the holy city of Beni Izguen. Admirable architecture, an unparalleled culture, a society viscerally and deliberately commercial, a weaving symbolic of vibrant and colorful femininity that expresses the unparalleled civilization of the Mozabite pentapolis.

We discover the fascinating M'Zab region, where the plateau served as a refuge for Ibadite Berbers approximately a thousand years ago. They erected ksours of singular beauty there. In this system of valleys organized around the M'Zab wadi, comprising Ghardaïa, Beni Izguen, El Atteuf, Bou Noura, and others. All these cities perched on hills are distinguished by their sober and charming Mozabite architecture.

The palm groves of the region are veritable garden-cities, offering refuge during intense heat. Their survival depends on an ingenious system using deep wells and dams along the wadis to maximize the use of rare precipitation. Branching canals then ensure equitable water distribution within the oases.

Timgad, also known as Thamugadi, is an ancient Roman city located in northeastern Algérie. Founded by Emperor Trajan in 100 AD, Timgad is an example of Roman urban planning. The city was built as a colony for veterans of the Roman army, and its layout is based on a typical orthogonal pattern of Roman urbanism. One of the most remarkable features of Timgad is its checkerboard layout, with rectilinear streets that intersect at right angles. The city was equipped with many impressive structures, including a triumphal arch dedicated to Trajan, a theater, a forum, thermal baths, temples, and richly decorated houses. The entire architectural ensemble was designed to reflect the grandeur and power of Rome.

Timgad prospered for several centuries as an administrative, commercial, and cultural center of the region. However, over the centuries, the city was abandoned. It was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, making it one of the best-preserved Roman archaeological sites in the world. Today, Timgad is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. We wander through its well-preserved ruins which offer a fascinating insight into life in a flourishing Roman city, with streets, buildings, and sculptures that testify to Roman engineering and art.

The Roman city of Tiddis stands on a rocky pedestal, making it an impregnable fortress. If at the beginning of Roman occupation, the Republica Castalli Tidditanorum was a military camp, the barracks quickly transformed into a charming city that would undergo several architectural modifications. Roman urbanism in Tiddis is a masterpiece of virtuosity and exceptional feats that we can observe through its well-preserved remains. The Romans also exploited clay, which the region is very rich in, which brought wealth to Tiddis. This archaeological site bears the imprint of several civilizations that succeeded one another in North Africa, including Berber Punic, Roman, Christian and Muslim civilizations.

Djémila, which means "the beautiful" in Arabic, is an exceptional archaeological site that bears witness to the splendor of Roman civilization in North Africa. Perched at 900 meters altitude, in a mountainous region, it overlooks a magnificent landscape, where the green of olive trees mingles with the red of the earth. It was the inhabitants who gave the name Djémila to the ancient Roman city of Cuicul, its original name, founded in the 1st century AD and thriving until the 5th century.

The archaeological site of Djémila possesses remarkable monuments, which illustrate the adaptation of Roman architecture to a particular environment. You can admire a theater, two forums, temples, basilicas, triumphal arches, paved streets and houses decorated with mosaics. You can also discover vestiges from the Christian period, such as a basilica and a baptistery. Djémila is a place steeped in history and culture, which reflects the diversity and richness of Algérie's heritage.

Djémila has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1982, for its unique character and exceptional preservation.

Visit to the Bardo Museum in the morning. The villa built on the heights of Algiers, commissioned by a wealthy Tunisian exile, Mustapha Ben Omar, at the end of the 18th century to serve as a summer residence for welcoming the notables of the time. In turn, the property passes through several owners, including Admiral Maurice Exelmans in 1830, General Valentin Auguste Lichtlin in 1846, officer and landscape painter artist Prosper Baccuet in 1851, Mr. Grauby in 1868, then Mrs. Aziza Fao, daughter of Jewish merchant Joseph Cohen-Bacri in 1874. In 1875, the villa becomes the property of Ali Bey Bouakkaz, Agha of Biskra, then he resold it in 1879 to Mr. Pierre Joret, the last occupant of the villa.

Upon his death, his sister, Mrs. Frémont, ceded the Bardo villa to the French state in 1926, which transformed it into a Museum of Ethnography and Indigenous Art. Inaugurated in 1930, on the occasion of the centenary of colonization, the museum becomes the Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography, whose founder and first curator is prehistorian Maurice Reygasse, then the National Museum of Bardo in 1985, and classified the same year as a historical monument. Regarding the word Bardo, it would be a deformation derived from the Spanish name Prado, which means garden, place of pleasure. It refers back to the sumptuous palaces of the Hafsid sultans dating back to the 15th century, traces of which can be found in the Tunisian suburbs.

Currently, the Bardo Museum houses an important collection of African ethnography and art.

Visit to the city center – unusual Algiers –, Didouche Mourad street, the market, craft shops up to the main post office, then Larbi Ben M'Hidi street - formerly Isly street - and Emir Abdelkader square.

Hiking walk along the waterfront.

You leave Alger and are transferred to the Alger International Airport. Upon arrival, you complete the departure formalities, with assistance provided until your departure.